Letter #10

Fri., Oct. 24; 1:23 am
Yesterday was a good day. Easily one of my favorite days of basic. You know how I am with heights. Eagle tower is a 55-foot tower with various bridges, cargo nets, and other such apparatus attached. The order went: 2-line bridge, 1-line bridge, 3-line bridge, cargo net, huge ladder, rope swing, main wall. 1-line bridge is actually a single rope that you have to commando-crawl across. I can't draw it. I'll have to demonstrate for you later. When I got to the main wall, at the top was my Drill Sergeant. Woo. When it's my turn, he motions me over to him on top of the wall. He asks a loaded question: "Are you nervous?" "F@#% no, Drill Sgt." He's a little surprised by this response. "How would you feel about it if I only put one line through your harness? If I basically sent you down fast like a sack of rocks?" I smiled a HYOOOGE smile and said, "Please? That would be awesome, Drill Sgt." Again, not the response he expected. So, he threaded me a single rope, instead of a double. I was on the wall, L-shaped, gloves on, brake hand ready before he could tell me to get ready. He asked, "You done this before?" "Yes, Drill Sgt." "How well?" "Very well, Drill Sgt. I love heights." "In that case, hold on." He turned and faced the line of soldiers on the ground, waiting to go. "Watch, men. You're about to see how it's done!" That's a lot of pressure. But, it's rappelling. It'd be like calling "chopsticks" on the piano a challenge for you. So then he turns to me. "Go." I was down in three bounds. Most soldiers did theirs in 10. So when I get to the bottom, he yells down to me, "You going to Airborne School?" "No, Drill Sgt." "Well, that's a waste." It rocked.
4:54 am
Yuck. It's raining right now, but it's the nasty, not-fun kind. And I gotta go do PT in this. Yippee. I'll write more later.
7:51 pm
Just had breakfast. I do eat pretty well, when I have the timing down. Usually bacon, eggs, grits with maple syrup, applesauce and/or cottage cheese, a slice of french toast. Mmmm. And now, Boxing! (I'm a little nervous. It's such a foreign form, to me. It's so rigid.) We'll see how I do.
4:20 pm
We've been boxing all day. I never got to, though! I was going to fight a guy, and our turn was close, then another company came over and challenged us. Our 10 best vs. their 10 best. We won 6/10. (3 of the 6 were from 1st platoon.) We kicked some ass today. I don't mind not getting to fight. The other guy kind of didn't want to, anyway. I take back what I said about the rain before. No rain is fun when you aren't with me. I miss you. So...
Sat., Oct. 25; 4:34 pm
Today has been meh. We have the final PT test on Monday, and we leave for FTX that night. So today we've been packing ALL DAY. I'm bored as hell. But I got to call! I'd do a million pushups to hear your voice.
Wed., Oct. 29; 2:07 pm
I'm out at the FTX now. Have been since Monday. I didn't expect it, but they brought your latest letter out here to me.
I'm still so sorry that school has become such a struggle. I can't wait to be home with you. Is it strange that I look forward to the day when I can devote all my time to you?
4:26 pm
I don't have a huge amount of time to write. (Plus, on such tiny paper.) We have to have 50% security at all times in this little 2 man foxhole. (He drew a picture of he and his battle buddy in the foxhole with their rucksacks, him "writing sneakily.") Georgia gets f-ing cold! I had no idea. We're only here til Friday, though. Then we come back to base and get ready for graduation. Don't worry about coming out here. I'm serious. It's not that I wouldn't love to have you out here, it's just that: what happens to "us" is more important than what happens to "me." You flying out here, me flying out at Christmas, flying back... it'd hurt us, in the long run. So, no worries, babe.
Sat., Nov. 1; 6:24 pm
We got back from the FTX last night. Ended up rucking around 10 miles or so. We've spent the day cleaning up our gear to turn in. Supposedly I get to call you tonight, but 2nd platoon is being stupid with their calls. So we'll see if I actually get to.
FTX was cold. And actually a little disappointing. I was looking forward to roughing it, and next thing I know we're marched out to a central point where we're being served breakfast. MRE for lunch. Served dinner. That part of it was kind of dumb. The rest was ok. I felt you so strongly and wanted you with me. It would have been so much more fun with you.
I'm sorry we weren't together on Halloween. It felt empty and hollow. We'll make the next one extra special! Big punkins. Yup. Decorations. The works.
Tue., Nov, 4; 1:37 pm
A lot has been going on latley. This "recovery week" is turning out to be a pain in the ass. The FTX blurb I wrote and then talked to you about, I'll include it in this letter, I guess. This is just going to have to be my last letter for a little while. (Not Happy.) It has been wonderful being able to call a little more often, lately. It's good for me. I want AIT to start so I can be in contact with you better. But it's taking so damn long! All we do is clean right now. And GFT. But they suck the fun out of even that.
Wed., Nov. 5; 8:21 am
So! The pictures/DVD/stuff order form that I was supposed to get in 30th AG (reception) I got today. I had to make a few hasty decisions. I saw the DVD, and you wouldn't care. It's boring, and you never see me at all. Instead I got the Individual picture package, photo CD, and group photo. I hope that's ok.
7:45 pm
More GFT. More cleaning. All our TA-50 gear is on our beds, so we slept on the floor. Kind of nice, actually. One of the Drill Sergeants said we had a "surprise coming tomorrow." We'll see. Last time I heard that, I ended up on duty squad. Meh. It's ok, though. I can make it. I'll make you proud. I'll be an awesome soldier. For you. For us. I wish I could call you right now!
You can probably tell how I'm feeling right now. I'm the 6th oldest in the platoon, and I can't wait to be around adults again. All the 17-21-year-olds all pretend they're so dangerous all the time. I'm whooping all their asses in GFT. Anyway, I'll send this off. I love you sweetheart. We'll be together soon.
Spyder
P.S.: I don't know what was up with that last paragraph. Just do me a favor: watch Whisper of the Heart and think of me.

I got this letter a couple of days ago, but I've been in the middle of tests again this week. (Sorry.) My cute boy and his love of heights. He makes me smile. He's getting pretty homesick.
He's been able to call me more the past week because of graduation. Our calls are mostly mushy now, so I'll just let you know what's been happening. They had family day on the 12th and he graduated yesterday. Today he and a few others traveled by bus over to Alabama to Fort Rucker where he is now. He has a lot more freedom, which he isn't used to. He says that it feels a lot like a college dorm. (I lived in a dorm once. It was LOUD.) Hopefully he gets a good sleep tonight. He's excited to start the next phase of his training. And then come home. ;)

Letter #9

Oct. 17; 8:50 pm
I just got your card. Thank you. You always know how to cheer me up. I love your cheesiness. We have another ruck march in the morning. (I HATE ruck marches.) But, meh. I'll just do it and it'll be done.
The funny thing is I just sent a letter off to you this morning. Anyway, BIG day tomorrow. Need sleep.
Oct. 20; 10:16 am
Ok, so... big couple of days. We've been doing a lot more BTT (Buddy-Team Tactics) such as room clearing, advances, grenade-minor (grenade-major is later). Feels like you've been with me a lot lately. Basic'll be over soon. Then we've got AIT to fight through. But it won't be nearly as difficult, I don't think. I'll have a lot more communication privileges, and I'll get to come home for Christmas. (I don't even care if I get any presents, as long as I can be with you.)
Oct. 21; 4:50 am
This last week has been hectic, if you couldn't tell. We're getting close to blue phase, so things are getting slightly more difficult. In a time-consuming way. We have FTX coming up. That's 6 days, 5 nights of camping out, while battling the other platoons. Rumor has it we get airsoft guns. After it's over, we go to one last range, then we do an 8-10 mile ruck march. I'm thrilled. I've heard a lot of rumors, but I have no real info.
Oct. 22; 2:51 pm
We just finished throwing grenades. As you can imagine, the Drill Sgts. sucked any confidence out of me. Procedure: release secondary safety. Pull pin. Not-throwing hand up as "sight post." Throw, and immediately kneel. Apparently I didn't kneel quite fast enough on the first time practice. (Fuses only. Bang.) Next thing I knew, the Grenadier-cadre guy's got me on the ground yelling at me, "What were you looking for?!?" Hmph. Second practice round. This guy's not such a jerk. I kneel, and he's just like, "You need to kneel a hell of a lot faster." Both times my throw was horrible. Because I was nervous. Then we went to the live range. It was here that I believe God answered one of your prayers. I felt you so strongly suddenly. I'm waiting in a huge 3-file line, packed so tight I can't move my arms and you came. I felt nervous, still. But I knew you were with me in some way. When my turn came up, I went out to the middle bunker, where this heavily-tattooed soldier, (who I knew to be a drill sgt.) was waiting. I stepped into the bunker and heard, "Where you from?"
"What? Oh, Utah, Sar, uh, Drill Sar..." (He wasn't in uniform.)
"Ain't no rank here. Name's Joe."
"Johnny."
"Mormon?"
"Yeah. Afraid so."
"Awesome. I dated a Mormon girl once. Prettiest girl ever."
"Yeah?"
"So are you nervous?"
"Yeah. The other srgts. get to ya, you know?"
"Sure do. No worries, though. You're only throwing a grenade, after all. What part makes you nervous?"
"I guess I don't kneel fast enough?"
"Then I'll remind you as you throw."
"That'd be good."
"That's why I'm here, Johnny. Now, you ready?"
"Yeah, bring it on!"
Oh, it was an awesome throw. It landed right at the target's feet, I knelt fast enough, and when I stood up, he said, "Textbook throw, target 'destroyed,' can't get any better than that. Good work, Johnny. Drive on!"
I fully believe he helped me because of you. I feel you all the time, now. Hang in there. We'll be together soon. For sure for Christmas. I'll try to get you something in time. I should have off-post weekend passes by that time, so it doesn't have to be something from the PX. Let me know if you're doing okay. I just like to know.
9:54 pm
One of my friends has been at sick call all day today. Turns out he's developed stress fractures in his hips and legs, and his spine has compressed. He's afraid he'll be discharged. The doctor put him on so many profiles that he can't march, stand for too long, or even hold his M-16. I've taken it for him a few times already. The drill sergeant is going to try to get him a temporary con leave so he can come back and finish his 2-3 weeks with another cycle. He hates the idea. He hates to quit. But I told him it's like he's a pilot who discovered a problem with the plane. Ya gotta turn back and land, but it's not the pilot's fault. Repair the plane and accept the time delay. He's a good kid.
Anyway, I should wrap this up. We will be doing Eagle Tower. Tomorrow, in fact. I'll get this sent off first thing in the morning.
Spyder
P.S.
I guess don't color envelope corners yellow anymore. My drill sergeant hates that.

Seems like our boy is doing better. I'm glad he got to do the Eagle Tower rapelling. He's been looking forward to that for a long time. Again, I'll let you all know his new address as soon as I get it. Thanks for supporting him. :)

That's twice.

Spyder was able to call me again today! I was shocked. It was so wonderful, but so hard. We both cried. He said he had a dream last night where he and I were standing outside our house - not too big, not too small - with our little girl between us. We were waiting for the bus with her. I was going to work after it came, but he was riding it with her and walking back home. I don't care what else happens, as long as I can help make that dream come true.
About 3 weeks ago, he said they asked him to meet with them for a little bit. He walked into a room and a woman was waiting there and she asked, "Is this the artist?" The drill sergeant said, "The best we've got." She asked him to draw the logo for the graduation shirts. He had twenty minutes. The shirts arrived today and everyone said they look awesome.
One of the guys that started going to church with Spyder - the one that was reading the Book of Mormon really fast - is getting baptized next week. I think that's really cool. He's really excited about it.
I told him about school lately and he said not to give up. He always bolsters me up when I need it. I'm the luckiest.
Christmas will be here before we know it. :)

A Familiar Voice

Spyder was able to call me again today. :) He's doing really good. He is homesick, though. They'll be camping this whole next week to put all they've learned to the test. I sent him a letter today and he said that should probably be my last letter (or maybe one more) until he gets to AIT. Because they'll be gone this week and then getting ready for graduation, there won't be a lot of time for mail and there's a chance he might not receive later letters at all. So, I thought I'd pass that message along to wait until I email you all his new mailing address at AIT (Fort Rucker, Alabama). I won't be able to make it out there for his graduation after all. We talked about it and he isn't upset. He said, "Please, it's like graduation from the 3rd grade to the 4th grade. I'd rather you be able to come for my AIT graduation." I am sad that I won't be there for him. He promises he has some friends to be with out there on Family Day. He's excited to be so close to the finish line. And then at AIT he can learn the specialized training for his MOS, which is basically ground control for the Apache helicopters. He'll be really good at that. We only had eight minutes to talk. He misses everyone. He probably won't be coming home between Basic and AIT, he'll just go straight over. But, Christmas is coming soon. (I can almost hear bells.) Oh, and he mentioned he's gotten pretty buff while he's been out there. He loves working out and improving himself in any way. I'm proud of him and I can tell he is proud of what he's accomplished, too.
Well, as always, I'll let you guys know when I know.
Oh, and the picture is Cloud from Final Fantasy - one of Spyder's favorite video game series, so it'll make him happy when he gets home and sees it. :)

Letter #8

Oct. 14; 9:40 am
We're at the EST 2000 again, doing CCO (close-combat optic) familiarization. Boring and inaccurate. One of the guys brought his Book of Mormon with him. He's almost to Mosiah. He reads pretty quick. I got to know another guy last night. Big time gamer/anime nut. HUGE Inuyasha fan. He and his fiancee cannot tolerate dubbed anime. He plays Guild Wars, too. (Hell of a lot more than me.) Anyway! We've got chow coming up soon. Probably MRE's again. I don't mind. I like MRE's. If I can get ahold of them, after I'm done and with my unit, they would be damn useful in your field. (Trust me, they can fill you up.) And they're pretty friggin' good, too.
We did the APFT yesterday. 54 pushups (-4), 56 situps (+2), and I ran my 2-mile in..... 13:13! That's a 100% in my run! Well, actually 13:18 is 100%. So, I exceeded the max standard. Woo! My PT score this time around was 246 (+10). I'll do even better next time. My goal is to hit 300 by the end of AIT. (Hopefully by the end of Basic!) I'm going to try my hardest.
4:04 pm
We're doing a Singars Radio class now. We did this in RSP. I already know how to set everything up. They didn't seem to appreciate that. *sigh* Well, chow is in about an hour and a half. (Hey, it's something to look forward to.) Chow, sleeping/dreaming of you, writing you letters (and getting letters!), those are the things I look forward to. Don't get me wrong, I love being a soldier. And I do it well, it's just that you are my true goal. I want to get through my training as well as I can, as fast as I can.
6:19
We've been without mail for 3 days now. Hopefully tonight. Chow sucked. I had a huge helping of this pork-mac concoction, I asked for rice and gravy. She didn't hear me say rice. So she ladled gravy right onto my tray. I actually dipped my bread in it. I ate my bread, cottage cheese, but the mac-stuff was too frickin' hot. I ran out of time before it cooled. (I'm hungry.) I wish I was home, eating gnocchi with you. I can always eat until I'm full with you.
It's 9:22 now, and I need sleep. More tomorrow, love. (I'm mushy!)
Oct. 15; 4:05 am
I hate fireguard. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't had a lousy night last night. Restless sleep, stupid dreams. I didn't dream of you, and that pisses me off. Instead, I got shot 4 times in battle and the Drill Sergeant got mad at me for not telling anyone. Then another dream where some of the guys and I are walking in a supermarket with a group of stupid people, and I bought beef jerky and an energy drink. Sarcastic wahoo. Stupid, pointless dreams. All I wanted was you. But, you are always with me, huh?
11:25 am
Hey. I'm back at the firing range again. This time, firing from around barricades in "full battle-rattle." Helmet, bulletproof vest, 100-oz. camelbak, 2 24-oz. canteens, ammo pouches. We shot the same pop-up sequence as we did when we qualified. I shot 23/40. I was in full BR! I would have been a first time go. I'm not annoyed, though. It shows I'm getting better.
12:54
Whee! We just had chow in the field, (NOT MRE's, actual food) and then this concessions truck pulls up. The Drill Sergeant came up to us all pissed off. Then he says, "If you qualified expert, you can get whatever you want off the truck. If your PT score was 250 or higher, you can get whatever you want." Bah! Mine was 247! Then he said, "If your run time was under 13:30, you can get a Gatorade and a powerbar." Damn, that powerbar was good!
5:35 pm
It's so weird here in Georgia. Weather, I mean. It's October. It's kinda cold in the morning, but it still gets damn hot during the day.
7:55 pm
Sorry, I had to run. We FINALLY got mail passed out to us tonight. I got your Oct. 7-9 letter!
My ear is doing a lot better. I still only have about 70% of what hearing I had, but it's getting there. (It looks normal now, at least.)
My dad wrote, too. Good stuff. He said he was proud of me. I like that. I've also gotten letters from my mom, your mom, and my Aunt Jolene. Well, it's lights out, now. So I should hit the sack. More tomorrow. 'Night.
Oct. 16; 1:20 pm
Hey. It's really a late start today, but we had a lot going from the start. That's a good thing, though. It's made the day go by fast. They can only pass out so much mail at a time, so maybe another letter tonight. We just had a class on urban combat. I'll have to employ some of this stuff during airsoft!
9:09 pm
Grrr. I need to vent for a sec: My platoon is really pissing me off lately. Because it consists of mainly 17-20-year-olds, they bitch and whine. They don't understand the "suck it up" concept. Even the Platoon Guide, I normally get along with fine, asked me to sweep the back stairs to the barracks when 3rd platoon (who were above us) was doing PT in the sand. So, I finish sweeping, and 3rd platoon comes in. I had done all that sweeping for nothing. I'm beginning to dislike inefficiency and inconsistency. It's like the drill sgts. don't know what's going on half the time. Remember the pugle sticks? That thing I was looking forward to, and was going to whoop ass in? We're not doing it! Eagle Tower? (the 60-foot rappel tower) who knows!
Oct. 17; 3:55 am
This is exactly the same fireguard shift as 2 days ago. And again, a sleepless night. I want to be with you so badly. Sorry about the venting earlier. I just needed to get it off my chest. I want one of your baked potatoes (with you, of course) and to watch Wallace and Gromit. It doesn't even matter which one. Or Chicken Little. Snuggle down in the blankie. My fireguard is almost over, so I'll finish this up and send it off. I love you so very much, Christine. Thank you for loving me.
Spyder

Well, our boy has been having a hard time, it seems. He's okay, though. He is unbelievably tough. MRE's are these dehydrated dinner things. Oh, and gnocchi are these little Italian potato dumplings I put in a chicken soup I make for him. It's his favorite thing. Our dreams and our memories will see us through. :) I got the letter a couple of days ago, but my tests took up all of my time. Sorry. Only a couple more rounds of tests this semester though. And then finals and then..... CHRISTMAS! And our soldier will be home for a little while. I'm so proud of my Spyder.

Letter #7

Oct. 10, 2008 9:27 pm
There's evidence of your influence, even here. There's this orange-stripey Tom that wanders around the CTA, meowing at soldiers. He seems to pay particular attention to me. It's strange. The lunch staff at the DFAC feed him, they call him "XAK" (Zack). They had to tell me the spelling.
*sigh* So much to tell you, sweetie. I will never be a sniper. I shot 25/40 on my first pre-qualification, (23/40 is qualify) 25/40 on my second pre-qual. The next day was qualification. I shot 19/40. But, you get 2 chances. (Mind you, I have to qualify to graduate. If I don't graduate, I DON'T COME HOME, AND I GET RESTARTED. (DO NOT WANT.)) So, on my 2nd round, I was so nervous I forgot my earplugs! (Wait! This turns out to be a blessing!) I fired my first shot. With my good ear now ringing, I'm more focused on my lack of hearing protection than on the task at hand. So by the time I finished, I didn't remember shooting. Then the D.S. in the tower called through the speaker: "Lane 1: Fail. Lane 2: Fail." etc. until "Lane 8:........ Qualify." I was so distracted by the lack of ear-pro that I shot 28/40. I qualified marksman! (Nowhere near sniper level.) But that's fine. I don't want to be a sniper. I just want to graduate and get my ass home! I miss you so much!
I'm going to go to bed for now, but Germany and I have CQ tonight. So I'll try to write more then.
Oct. 11, 2008 1:06 am
Hey, baby. About that marksman stuff. I was what they call a 2nd time Go. Yes, I qualified, but I am not now and can never be a first time Go. There's a little less respect in it. Anyway, yesterday morning we were forming up in the CTA and my D.S. is standing at the front of the formation. Suddenly he points and says, "You. Come here." So the soldier in front of me moves. "Not you, dumbass. Behind you." Meaning me. Normally, when the D.S. calls you out, it's not a good thing. So, I hurry my ass up there, fully prepared for a verbal lashing. Conversation went as follows:
D.S.: Are you sad, soldier?
Me: No, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: You looked sad, just now.
Me: I think I'm just trying to look serious, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: Did you qualify yesterday?
Me: I was a 2nd time Go, but yes, I qualified, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll get better.
Me: Yes, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: Now get away from me.
These are very not-typical words from him. Then, later in the day, we are doing barracks maintenance, when he walks in. At Ease is called, and he tells us to Toe the Line (it means you stand at attention with you feet on the line that goes around the room, with your back to your bunk). This is usually a bad sign. Toe the Line is what preceded the sand castle. But he moves around the room and pulls 6 of us out of line and tells us to report to the Battalion Desk in clean ACU's, re-shaven, full perfect uniform. So we get down there when we are supposed to, and he's there to meet us. Turns out we were the new Flag Detail. (When flag comes down, we remove it from the flagpole and fold it.) Apparently, this is a huge honor. When we were done, another D.S. asked why he chose who he did. He said, "Let's just say that I notice effort. You six are the hardest-working. Not necessarily the most successful, but what you are able to do, you put your heart and soul into it. That's what a soldier is all about. I notice these things." It was cool.
8:30 am
Hey. I just did flag detail again. We have it for a week. It's going to be weird when I get back. I'm growing accustomed to the whole 3-meals-a-day concept. (I may eat breakfast more often.) I also discovered that I like grits with maple syrup in it. I just had chow, if you couldn't tell. The food is good, I just wish I had more time to enjoy it. I'm taking you out to dinner for like a week when I get back.
We did the Mk19 and 50 cal. simulator today, and GFT (ground fighting tactics). The Mk19 sim. sucked. Not accurate at all.
8:06 pm
If you can't come out for graduation, that's ok. I'd see you at Christmas. But, if you are able to make it, that would be wonderful. I don't even know how it would work out. They'll probably give me more info. later. We'll get it figured out. Tomorrow is Sunday, so that means barracks maintenance, personal maintenance, (wall locker) and letter writing/church, if I feel like it. I might go, just to see what it's like at a military installation. There's only one other Mormon here. We might go together.
Oct. 12, 2008 6:44 am
We've got a little extra time before first formation, so I figured I'd write a little. I love that dry-shaving doesn't hurt me. Because other guys see me and are like "how the hell can you do that? It doesn't tear up your skin?" "Nope." Fun. I finally broke down and got some shaving cream, though.They made one of us our Platoon Guide. It's hard on us older guys, but even more on him, now. Everyone gives him shit about being on a power trip, when really he's just trying to keep things running smoothly. There's a couple other guys I know going to Ft. Rucker for AIT. It'll be nice having a few familiar faces around. One of those guys and I have plans to go to like Olive Garden or something after Basic and just enjoy a leisurely meal.
2:26 pm
I went to church today. A couple of the guys were curious. When we got there, they asked if I had scriptures. I said I didn't and they gave me some. They gave a Book of Mormon to each of the curious guys, too. They're little and red! One guy started reading it, too.
I got off the phone with you a few mintues ago. Talking to you is so bittersweet. I love hearing your voice, but it makes a lump in my throat, and an ache in my heart. You are never far from my thoughts. In fact, on pre-qual. day, the buses wouldn't arrive for some time, so they were shuttling about 20 of us at a time in 2 2-ton trucks. About half our platoon broke out our waterprrof ponchos and sat down in the field. (Lightning kills more privates than anything else.) We were there in heavy rain for about an hour. I intended to be miserable. Then I thought of you and I in the rain. And even though you weren't there, I loved it. The truck came too soon, then. Even the very thought of you makes everything beautiful.
Anyway, I should wrap this up. PT test in the morning, you know. Need my sleep. I'll write again soon.
Spyder

He didn't actually end that abruptly; he wrote me a little love poem and then said he needed to wrap up. I'm very lucky to have him. Even when he's gone, he makes things easier when life gets hard.

Yay! The phone's for me!

I got a phone call today from Private Spyder. Around 4 pm the phone rang and when I saw it was a pay phone calling my heart sped up. "Hello?" And my favorite voice said, "I hoped you'd be home." And I started crying. We only had eight minutes to talk. It's our cat's birthday today, so I told him that we'll be having tuna for dinner later and I'd give the furball a big hug for him. He told me all about how he qualified at marksmanship. For the first part it was raining really hard and he got 25/25, so he said he probably won't be a sniper, but that he didn't want to be, anway. He said one of his drill sergeants is a sniper and that he has a hard time having a normal relationship with people. The second part was clear, perfect weather. No distractions, so Spyder's nerves were through the roof. He took his first shot and realized he'd forgotten his ear protection. And that distracted him enough that he got 19, so he passed. Now he won't have to do basic training over again. We told each other how much we missed each other and loved each other. And he said when he gets back we'll buy me a really good rock hammer. (He's so cute.) And then we were out of time and said goodbye and everything was quiet again. But, since I talked to him I've felt an overwhelming relief. He's alright. And his hearing is doing even better. He says he can hear more than he can't hear. He sounded really good. And he said a really big letter is on it's way. So, when that arrives, I'll post it here. :)